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A jury found Dennard guilty of the felony charge and a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest but acquitted the former Nebraska standout of third-degree assault against another man, Lancaster County attorney Joe Kelly said.

Dennard faces up to five years in prison for the officer assault and up to a year for resisting arrest, Kelly said. His sentencing hearing is April 11.

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Kelly said he did not yet know whether his office would urge the judge to sentence Dennard to prison time.

Dennard was arrested just after 2 a.m. on April 21 outside a bar in Lincoln. A police report said officers outside the bar witnessed a verbal altercation between Dennard and another person that appeared to be escalating before other people separated the two.

The officers approached the group and told Dennard twice he "needed to leave the area," according to a police affidavit.

The affidavit said Dennard was walking away when an officer saw him punch another man.

Officer Ben Kopsa then ran up to Dennard, told the football player he was under arrest and tried to handcuff him. Officers said Dennard pulled away, then punched Kopsa in the face.

During his trial, Dennard acknowledged he may have resisted arrest, but denied punching the officer.

The fight occurred five days before the 2012 NFL draft. Dennard was the 2011 Big Ten defensive back of the year and had been projected to be a second- or third-round pick before his arrest. The Patriots took Dennard in the seventh round, and he is coming off his rookie season.

Dennard remains free on bond, said his attorney, Terry Dougherty of Lincoln.

"We're disappointed that he was convicted, but that's the jury's verdict," Dougherty said. "Now we need to turn our attention to the sentencing phase of the trial."

Re: Patriots CB Alfonzo Dennard guilty of assaulting police officer

New England Patriots cornerback Alfonzo Dennard was sentenced on Thursday to 30 days in jail beginning on March 1, 2014, on charges of assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest during an April 2012 incident.

Dennard also will get 24 months of probation for each charge to be served concurrently and 100 hours of community service.

The judge in the Lincoln, Neb., courtroom also said she would consider motions to change the terms of the probation, including possibly to suspend the jail time, the Lincoln Journal Star reported.

The 23-year-old faced a maximum of six years in prison stemming from the charges. As a result of his sentencing, Dennard will not miss any time during the NFL's season.

A jury in February found Dennard guilty of the felony charge and a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest. The former Nebraska player was acquitted of third-degree assault against another man.

Dennard was arrested just after 2 a.m. on April 21, 2012 outside a bar in Lincoln. A police report said Dennard struck an officer after the officer ordered him to leave the area after an altercation with another man.

The incident took place in the days leading up to the 2012 NFL draft, dropping Dennard's stock significantly. He was drafted by the Patriots in the seventh round, eventually becoming a starter for the team.

Dennard was apologetic during his court appearance. Both Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Nebraska coach Bo Pelini wrote letters on Dennard's behalf for the judge to consider.

Because of both the length and the start date of Dennard's jail time, he won't miss any games, training camp or organized offseason team activities next year. From a football perspective, that was very good news, as he became a starter during his rookie season and the team's secondary improved with both Dennard and Aqib Talib shoring up the cornerback position. While spending a month in jail is likely to impact his offseason conditioning, Dennard will have time to work his way back into shape upon his release.

As far as the cornerback position is concerned, although Dennard's on-field availability is not affected, the Patriots could still stand to add an impact player in the draft. The team was able to retain both Talib and Kyle Arrington this offseason, but cornerback is an area the Patriots have been working to improve in recent seasons.

Re: Patriots CB Alfonzo Dennard guilty of assaulting police officer

Patriots cornerback Alfonzo Dennard reported to jail this morning and is scheduled to stay there for 35 days.

Dennard was sentenced to 60 days in jail after first being convicted of a felony for punching a police officer and then violating his probation by drinking and driving. But the Lincoln Journal Star reports that Dennard is likely to stay at the Lancaster County Adult Detention Facility for 35 days, after credit for good behavior and three days served.

Just days before the Patriots selected him in the seventh round of the 2012 NFL draft, Dennard was arrested for hitting a cop, and a year later he was convicted of felony assault. In that case, a judge gave him two yearsí probation and 30 days in jail, which were suspended until after the football season.

The judge later doubled the jail time after ruling that Dennard violated his probation when he was pulled over and accused of driving drunk. In that case, Dennard eventually pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of refusal to submit to a chemical test. For that incident, Dennard was given a $500 fine, and his driverís license was revoked for 60 days

Re: Patriots CB Alfonzo Dennard guilty of assaulting police officer

Patriots cornerback Alfonzo Dennard was released from jail on Friday, 35 days after he began his sentence.

Dennard was sentenced to 60 days after he pleaded no contest to driving under the influence, which constituted a violation of his probation for punching a police officer. He was credited for good behavior while in jail, which is why he was released early.

The judge in both cases allowed Dennard to wait until after the football season to serve his sentence, so Dennard did not miss any games and is now free to join the Patriotsí offseason workouts when they begin on April 21.

Dennard will likely compete with Brandon Browner to be the Patriotsí No. 2 cornerback, across the field from Darrelle Revis. However, New England may not have either of them at the start of the season: Browner has already been suspended for the first four games of the 2014 season, and itís possible that the NFL could suspend Dennard as well.